492. Tina Rasmussen - a podcast by Rick Archer

After 20+ years of Buddhist and non-dual practice, in 2003 Tina Rasmussen, Ph.D., undertook a year-long solo retreat during which awakening occurred. She later ordained as a Buddhist nun with a world-renowned meditation master, became the first Western woman to attain that path, and was authorized to teach. Tina has been studied by Yale Neuroscience Lab for research on the effects of meditation on consciousness and the brain. Tina is co-author of Practicing the Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, and has been featured on Conscious TV and in Non-duality Magazine. She is also involved in the Diamond Approach to realization. Tina teaches students worldwide how to walk the path of the “urban mystic”—functioning from deep spiritual understanding while living a modern human life. Dr. Rasmussen has also worked in the field of human/organizational development as a consultant/coach for 25+ years, with several published books on humanistic leadership.

Website: luminousmindsangha.comDiscussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interviewInterview recorded February 23, 2019.

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.Chapters:


00:00:00 - Introduction and Previous Interviews Menu00:06:01 - Exploring Meditation and Inquiry Techniques
00:10:50 - The Brain Changes with Meditation00:15:41 - Overcoming Hindrances in Meditation
00:20:33 - Understanding Awakening00:24:17 - Uniqueness and Awakened Beings
00:28:08 - Fine-tuning the Contraption00:31:56 - Deep Retreat Experience
00:35:55 - Handling Intense Energy during Meditation00:39:37 - The Awakening Journey
00:43:32 - Working with Awakening in Daily Life00:47:39 - Different Paths for Different People
00:50:55 - The Hare and the Tortoise00:54:33 - The Neo-Advaita Shift
00:57:59 - Moving from Distortions to Integration01:01:55 - Awakening in the World
01:05:28 - A Vision of a More Enlightened World01:09:30 - The Lack of Understanding and Emphasis on Awakening
01:13:38 - The Importance of Diligence and Discernment01:17:18 - Exercising Discernment and Ethical Living
01:21:14 - Living in Alignment with Realization01:24:32 - Manifestation and Meditation across Different Walks of Life
01:28:24 - The Balance of Effort and Letting Go01:32:47 - The Continuity of Awareness and Identification with Instinctual Drives
01:36:54 - Understanding the Harm and Delusion in Spiritual Practice01:40:26 - The Challenges After Awakening
01:45:05 - Awakening and Dealing with Personality Material01:51:11 - Insight and Rigpa: Stages of Liberation
01:59:03 - The Ground of Awakening02:06:22 - The Full Potentiality of the Human Experience
02:12:23 - End of Presentation

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